Shield for garment hangers



March 21, 1939. CONEY 2,151,013

SHIELD FOR GARMENT HANGERS Filed April 8, 1937 INVENTOR.

I 0/2/7766 0 60/76 BY J$W ATTORNEY 5 Patented Mar-. 21, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHIELD FOB GARMENT HANGERS Application April 8, 1931, Serial No. 135,746

10 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in shields for garment hangers.

The main objects of the invention are:

First, to provide a shield for garment hangers in general but particularly adapted for use in connection with a wire garment hanger of well known type having downwardly diverging garment-supporting arms, a strut or cross member integrally connecting those arms, and an integral hook connected by a shank to the apex formed by the arms.

Second, to provide a garment hanger of the type described having provision for shielding and protecting garments from the aforesaid garmentsupporting arms whereby garments supported thereon are not soiled by dirt or rust on the arms, and in addition a more adequate supporting surface is presented for the garments, whereby creases are not formed in the garments and the garments are not readily displaceable from the arms.

Third, to provide a shield for a garment hanger of the type described which is simple in construction and readily erected and assembled with the hanger when desired to be used. I

Fourth, to provide a shield of the type described having provision in the form of a separate shield element struck from the body of the main shield blank for the purpose of shielding the transverse strut.

Fifth, to provide a one-piece blank formed whereby it may be quickly converted into a protective article, the blank having integral means for holding it in erected position, and also having provision whereby insertion of the hook of the hanger in an opening provided for the same is considerably facilitated.

Objects relating to details and economies of the invention will appear from the description to follow. The invention is defined and pointed out in the claims.

Preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in

which:

Fig. 1 is a view in elevation of a shield according to my invention, shown in operative relation with the conventional wire hanger for which it is particularly designed.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view illustrating the blank from which the improved hanger shield is formed.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail view illustrating a modified manner of constructing and combining elements of the invention.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail view illustrating a still further modified manner whereby the parts may be secured in erected position, the dotted line illustrating the position of the cooperative parts when in flat form.

This invention relates to a simplified cover or shield structure for covering the arms and transverse strut of a conventional wire garment hanger whereby garments supported on the same are adequately protected against dirt or rust on the surface of the hanger and'are also protected from objectionable sharp creases imparted thereto due to the relatively small gage or dimension of the wire forming hanger element. The primary object of the invention, generally speaking, is to devise a structure fulfilling the foregoing requirements which is exceedingly simple in nature and accordingly inexpensive of manuiacture and readily assembled.

Referring to the drawing, numeral 1 indicates the hook of a conventional wire garment hanger which is connected to laterally diverging arms 2 by a twisted shank 3, the arms being integrally connected at their opposite extremities by a transverse strut or cross member 4.

The shield or protector as embodied in this invention is formed from a flat blank, indicated generally by the numeral 5, the said blank having a base 6 and angled sides 1. At the side opposite the base 6 the blank is slitted and notched at 8 to provide a central shielding element or flap 9 integrally connected to a front wall portion which is designated Ill. The slits 8 likewise serve to outline a pair of side flaps H integral with the wall In which flaps will be hereinafter referred to. A central shankreceiving aperture 12 is punched in the central shielding element 9 and further slits 13 are formed in the flaps II at either side of said element for the purpose of receiving tongues l4 on the element when the parts are brought into operative relation, as will be hereinafter described.

Adjacent the base 6 of the blank I provide a transversely extending slit I5 having downwardly curved ends. Thus I provide a flap l6 which is bent outwardly and downwardly from the plane of the blank, forming or providing a strut shielding or covering element. The ends of the slit are spaced from but adjacent the ends of the cover and the down-curved ends of the slit terminate in approximately the plane of the strut.

In erecting the shield or cover, flaps II and shield flap 9 are folded to form shoulders of rounded contour, and the tongues it on nap s areinsertedintheslits llintheflapstosecure flaps l and ii in erected position. The slits and tongues are so positioned in actual practice that the flaps will be held in substantially rounded outline throughout their entire length so that an adequate garment supporting surface is termed, the secured flaps Ii and t forming a rear wall for the shi ldneferringtol'ig. 1.itwillbeseenthatin erected position the edges ll of the flaps Ii converge centrally whereby to form an inverted v-notch, the distance on the rear wall from the apex of said notch to the adjacent edge of the aperture I! being less than the spread or span of the hook i, so that the insertion of the hook into the aperture when the shield is erected is considerably facilitated, it being merely necessary to advance the free edge of the hook directly toward the aperture from the inside of the shield and when said free end enters the aperture to swing the hook body downwardly, whereupon the hook and shank I will pass completely through aperture It.

When a hanger has been operativelv associated with the shield in the manner described. the shield ilap it may then be pressed out of the plane of the front wall ll over the strut l as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, to form a rounded supporting surface and shield for garments which it isdesiredtocarryonthe strut. The extended or rounded supporting surface referred to on the strut and diverging arms, in addition to prevent- 7 ing creasing and soiling of the garments eifectively resists dislodgment of the garments by sliding thereon.

The above described shield obviously may very inexpensively manufactured and readily and quickly assembled with a hook by unskilled persons.

In Fig. 4 I disclose a modified embodiment of the invention wherein the shleldflap I is secured toiiaps II by a coating it of a suitable adhesive or cement after the ilaps have been folded to op-' erative position. The result of this provision is a very strong construction but one not capable of being dismantled for obvious reasons.

Inl'ig.61discl0seafurthermodif ication of the invention residing in the notching of portions of the flaps II, as indicated at it, for engage-v ment with ngues formed on the shield flap I. This construction is in lieu of slitting the flaps at it, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 8, and results in a quickly assembled and dismounted structure. The appropriate formation of the flat blank is indicated in the upper dotted lines in Pig. 5.

The provisions of thisinvention are intended to be incorporated in a blank of white calendered itisbelievedthisdisclosurewillenablethose skilledinthe arttoembodyoradapttheimprovements as may be desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claimasnewanddesiretoIecm-ebyLettersPatent, is:

1. A shield for a garment hanger having garment suporting arms, a hook, a shank Joining the hook to the arms, and a transverse strut, said shield comprising a front wall member having slitted flaps foldable over said arms, a central shielding element integral with said wall member and foldable into engagement with said flaps, and means comprising tongues on said shielding element engageable in slits in said flaps for securing said central shielding element to said flaps to constitute the-same a rear wall, one of said walls being reduced in width to correspond approximately to the span of said hook, said shielding element having an aperture for receiving said hook and shank.

2. A shield for a garment hanger having a book, a shank, garment supporting arms, and a transverse strut, said shield comprising a front wall member having flaps foldable over said arms, a central shielding element integral with said wall member and foldable into engagement with said flaps, means comprising lateral tongues integral with said central shielding element and engageable with said flaps for securing said central shielding element to said flaps to hold the same in rounded condition, said shielding element having an-aperture to receive said hook and shank, and means carried by the wall member for shielding said strut. 1

3. A shield for a garment hanger having garment supporting arms, comprising a front wall having flaps foldable over said arms, means securing said flaps to one another to form a rear wall connected to said front wall by an arcuate garment supporting surface, comprising a member integral with said front wall and having a hook receiving aperture, and means lockingly and removably engaging said'member withsaid flaps,

said rear wall being reduced in width to correspond approximately to the span of said hook to facilitate insertion of the hook in said aperture.

4. A shield for a garment hanger having garment supporting arms and a transverse strut,

said shield comprising a front wall, side flaps integrally Joined to said front wall and foldable over said supporting arms, a portion integral with said front wall and having a hook receiving aperture, said portion being foldable over said hanger into operative relation with saidilaps at the rear of said hanger, and means for securing said portion to said flaps, comprising tongues on said portion, said flaps having provisionvfor releasably engaging said tong es said front, wall having a strut shielding element punched therefrom and foldable re'arwardly over said strut.

5. A shield for a garment hanger having diverging supporting arms comprising a blank folded to provide a front wall, said blank having side portions integral therewith foldable over said supporting arms to shield the same, and a center portion foldable into overlapping relation with said side portions,,said center portion being apertured to receive a hanger, means on said center portion to removably hold said side portions in erected position, said shield being of reduced width adjacent said center portion to permit insertion of a hanger.

6. A shield for a wire garment hanger having a transverse strut, comprising a front wall and arm flaps at the upper edges thereof foldable over the arms of a hanger, and a center flap perforated to receive the hook shank of a hanger, said arm flaps and center flap being provided with releasable interlockingv means whereby the parts may be secured in erected position with said arm flaps 'and said center flap constituting a rear wall, said rear wall being recessed to reduce the width at a center portion thereof to permit insertion of the hanger, said front wall being of such Width as to depend below the strut of the hanger and having a longitudinal slit therein curved downwardly at its ends, the ends of the down-curved portions of the slit terminating in approximately the plane of the strut when the shield is arranged on a hanger and providing a flap which may be bent downwardly over the strut to constitute a cover therefor.

'7. The combination with a triangular garment hanger having a shank rising centrally therefrom and formed with a supporting hook, of a shield comprising front and back walls spaced to engage at opposite sides of the hanger, said walls being joined at the top of the shield, the back wall comprising a pair of lateral elements and a central element interconnecting the lateral elements, the central element having an orifice at the top of the shield to accommodate said shank, and having a downward extent less than the span of the hook, to facilitate threading the hook upwardly through such orifice.

8. A garment hanger shield comprising front and back Walls joined at the top of the shield, the back wall comprising a central shielding element, and a pair of lateral shielding elements interconnected by the central element, said central shielding element being orificed at its juncture with the front wall to accommodate the wire hook shank of a garment hanger.

9. The combination with a triangular garment hanger having a. shank rising centrally therefrom and formed with a supporting hook, of a shield comprising front and back walls disposed at opposite sides of the hanger, said walls being joined at the top of the shield, the back wall comprising a pair of lateral elements and a central element interconnecting the lateral elements, the central element having an orifice at the top of the shield to accommodate said shank, the lower edges of the lateral elements extending upwardly in spaced relation, as they approach the central element and the central element having a downward extent, between said edges, less than the span of the hook, whereby the hook may be threaded upwardly through said orifice.

10. A garment hanger shield formed from a blank of sheet material having spaced slits extending inwardly from its margin, a central shielding element being formed between the slits and a pair of relatively large lateral shielding ele 

